Revenge
by Jaina Kenobi
Summary: Jack's revenge on Barbossa the way it should have happened. Rating follows the movie, may change. CHAPTER 5 FINALLY UP!
1. Chapter 1

Revenge

Disclaimer: None of it belongs to me. (sadness)

Author's note: This started out as a one-shot about how Jack was disappointed with the way his revenge ended (which I might post separately later). Then I got another idea: what if Will actually did what he was told when Jack told him to "stay here, and try not to do anything... stupid"? And then I started wondering if the two could work together. Somehow it turned into a full-blown fic. Go figure.

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Chapter 1

"Do us a favor. I know it's difficult for you, but please, stay here, and try not to do anything... stupid," Jack said quietly. He turned away, about to leave, but when he didn't get an answer, he paused and swung back to face the young man. "Will?"

Scowling, Will answered, "I know."

"You swear you'll stay put until I tell you to do otherwise?"

"As long as Elizabeth is safe, I won't move a muscle."

Jack spread his arms wide, as if begging Will to have a little trust in him. "Hey, it's me!" He crept away, tossing the young man a careless grin over his shoulder as he went.

Will watched him go, frowning. "That's what worries me," he whispered. But Jack was gone. Moments later, the pirate reappeared on the other side of the cavern, where he had a clear view of everything that was going on. Will turned his attention to Barbossa, who was still shouting at the crew.

Suddenly, he turned to Elizabeth, and Will strained to hear what he said to her. "... whole bushel of apples," he hissed. He raised the knife, and Will swung his eyes over to Jack, knowing that the pirate had to move soon or lose his chance. But Jack stood, watching intently, but absolutely motionless. Will grasped his sword hilt, ready to bolt out of hiding and risk everything, but suddenly... it was over. All he'd done was to cut her hand.

She was obviously just as surprised as he was. "That's it?" she demanded, looking up at Barbossa in fear and tentative relief.

The pirate captain leered down at her. "Waste not," he said simply. Then he forced her to release the bloodstained medallion into the chest, and shoved her away. Her part was done; the pirates had but to wait to feel the sweet sensation of breathing overtake them once again.

Nothing happened.

This, Will was sure, would be Jack's cue to move, but still the pirate did nothing. He frowned and glanced back up at the pirates. Did he miss something? Was there some other component to lifting the curse that nobody knew about? Well, he amended silently, nobody but Jack. Somehow, that man was always three steps and a couple of good jumps ahead of everybody else, even when it looked like he was at the end of his rope... literally.

The pirates were getting restless. Finally, with an expression of extreme annoyance, Barbossa reached for his pistol and shot one of his men. Will jumped, but the man was unharmed (except, of course, for the smoking hole in his chest). But it proved that the curse was far from lifted, and the pirates broke into a fierce argument.

_This_ was Jack's cue to move, and move he did. With a nod and a sharp whistle, he jumped from his hiding spot, brandishing his sword in one hand and his pistol in the other. From other hiding places around the cavern, the rest of his crew followed his lead--Jack must have given Gibbs separate orders outside of Will's hearing. Will seethed, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Besides, it wasn't completely bad; Barbossa and his mates were surrounded.

Jack smiled. "Well, isn't this interestin'?" He clambered up next to Barbossa and glanced at Elizabeth. "Looks like the girl's blood didn't work, did it?"

"What the devil are you doing here?" Barbossa demanded.

Jack put on his best wounded look and said, "I'm tryin te help ye out, mate. What d'ye think I'm here for?"

"And how the blazes d'ye think ye can do that?"

Jack grinned. "Tha's easy. You give me the _Pearl_, and I give you the blood of Bootstrap Bill."

Will, still hiding where Jack had left him, jumped. He had known that Jack was going to use him as leverage of some sort, but handing him over to these pirates to be the sacrifice to... whatever it was that had cursed them--! There were only so many things he was willing to put up with, and now that he was relatively certain that Elizabeth was safe, sacrificing himself to some heathen god or other was not listed among them. They wouldn't get him without a fight. He stood up and put his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was ready.

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Okay, I know that there wasn't a whole lot of originality in there, but I had to transition from the movie to my new plotline as smoothly as I could, and that means copying a bit of the original stuff. It'll get vastly different from here on out, trust me! 

To those of you who are observant: there is a line in here from another movie that I love. First person to tell me what the line is and what movie it's from gets a cookie! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hello all, sorry that it has taken so dreadfully long to update. I blame my lack of computer access at home. And the fact that I'm a procrastinator, a perfectionist, and a slow writer. But I'm back now, and here (finally) is chapter 2!

Oh, and here's a fresh-out-of-the-oven, homemade chocolate chip cookie (nothing but the best) for wyldcat for getting the "Hey, it's me!" line dead-on. And, for picking up "I know," which _I_ didn't even notice (I was going for something _totally_ different there, intonation-wise), here's a pint of rum! Good going!

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Chapter 2

"The blood of Bootstrap Bill," Barbossa scoffed. "And where, might I ask, do you think you've found that? In case you haven't noticed, Bill's brat seems to have fallen off the face of the planet."

"Has he, now? That _would _be news. Especially since I know exactly where he is at the moment," Jack said, obviously enjoying his coup.

"Do ye? Where?"

Jack actually laughed. "You don't think I'm actually going to _tell_ you, Barbossa, do you? Honestly, I knew ye were daft, but that's pushin' the line even for you. I don't tell you where the boy is hidden until you promise me the _Pearl._ In fact, I think I'll be takin' a bit of insurance on that." He opened his mouth to say more, but Will ruined his plans rather spectacularly.

He'd been sneaking up to where Elizabeth had staggered to after they sliced her hand, thinking to get her and get out on either ship before Jack noticed that they were missing. He was certain he could get them somewhere safe--especially if he took the _Pearl_--before the other pirates caught up to them. But he hadn't counted on the floor of the cave being as slimy as it was--he slipped on a particularly slick patch and crashed into a pile of gold, sending it scattering everywhere and alerting every pirate on the island to his presence.

Barbossa whirled and glared at the boy before he realized exactly who had made such a royal blunder. A smirk spread across his face as he turned back to Jack, nodding. "You were saying, Jack?" he asked smugly.

Jack, who'd turned his own icy glare on Will, refused to be daunted. "I told ye I knew right where he was, didn't I? And there he is, just as I promised. Now, about my ship..."

"Ye don't get it, do you?" Barbossa asked, shaking his head in mock dissappointment. "You lost, Jack. Now that we have the boy, we don't need you. Gents," he called, turning to his crew, "finish 'em off."

Jack turned one last hate-filled glare to Will before he was lost to sight amidst flashing swords.

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Oh, I am cruel to leave it there. That was painfully short. But I ran out of time, and that's a nice evil cliffhanger to throw at you, so there it stays until next time. Which, banking on last time, might be a while. Sorry about that! (_ducks various rotten foods_) I promise to try and move faster! Honest! But you don't want poor-quality story from me because I rushed it, do you? Didn't think so. So you'll just have to wait. 


	3. Chapter 3

Oh, how you all must hate me! I'm so dreadfully sorry. I'm such a slow writer. That's why I usually try to have a story finished on my computer before I start posting. To be honest, I don't really know why I didn't do that this time, except that I was so anxious to get this going.

I've started writing much more original fiction lately, which I have hopes of publishing in the not-so-distant future. So I won't be writing as much here. However, I do promise that I will make an effort to finish this story for you. It just might take a long time.

Well, be that as it may, here's chapter 3, along with my humblest apologies.

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Will glanced helplessly around him, watching the pirates fight each other and knowing that Barbossa's crew couldn't lose. Inside, he was kicking himself for not trusting Jack… but it was a bit late to be worried about that now. He had other things to worry about, like the pirates that were charging towards him. He raised his sword to defend himself, his thoughts of getting to Elizabeth replaced by thoughts of survival.

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Jack was surrounded, but the knowing smirk never left his face as he fought his former crew. All he had to do was hold them off. He smiled to himself as he thought of what revenge he had in store for his mutinous first mate.

"C'mon, mate, you can do better than that," he said with a laugh as Pintel charged him and missed, striking Bo'sun in the head with his sword and temporarily distracting the both of them. It was enough: AnaMaria ran up behind them and knocked both unconscious. He tossed her a distracted salute of thanks and kept fighting. Barbossa was trying to catch up to him, and it was all he could do to keep from fighting the false captain yet. That, he knew, would have to wait until a more opportune moment.

He risked a glance around to see how things were doing. Most of the crew had caught on to Jack's technique and were trying only to knock their opponents unconscious. Will, however, was struggling. Every time he struck what would normally be a killing blow, his opponent would laugh it off and keep fighting. The blacksmith was obviously running out of options.

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Jack maneuvered his fight closer to Will's. When he was within shouting distance, he called, "Oy, Will! Knock 'em out, mate!" He wasn't certain that Will had heard until he saw the boy's opponent collapse. Will tossed him a nod of thanks and moved on to the next man. Jack grinned and returned his attention to the pirate in front of him. Perhaps they could make this work after all.

But these pirates wouldn't stay knocked out forever. And when they came to, they would be rather upset with him. Could he fight them off quickly enough that they stayed out for the whole fight? He didn't know, and he didn't want to find out the hard way that he couldn't. What to do, then?

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Elizabeth was having similar thoughts. She saw right away what Jack was doing, and she knew that it was their best hope. Her fingers itched for a weapon, but the gold and jewels that littered the cave floor were useless to her. The pirates were ignoring her, anyway; she was worthless if her blood did not lift the curse, and she wasn't a threat since she had no weapon.

Then her eyes lit on a chest full of beaded necklaces, and she got an idea. The pirates who were currently unconscious wouldn't stay that way for long, and the fight would end only when Jack's crew was too tired to continue. But if she could tie their hands before they came to, they would be helpless to do anything but watch as their comrades were defeated. Once all the pirates were unconscious, she and Will could escape on either the _Black Pearl_ or whatever ship he'd come to her on, and leave Jack to deal with the rest. Even if Will couldn't sail the ship by himself, she could surely help him until they got to a nearby port for help.

She reached into the chest and pulled out a handful of the necklaces, pulling on them to test their strength. They seemed sturdy enough for her purposes. With a wicked grin, she crept over to the nearest of the unconscious pirates and quickly bound his hands. She tested her knots to ensure that they would hold, and moved on to the next man. Soon, she realized that it would be wise to bind their feet, as well, so she went back and did that. She took care to move quickly and quietly, hoping to avoid the attention of any of Barbossa's remaining crew.

That was all good and well until the first of the pirates woke back up. Elizabeth realized belatedly that it might have been wise of her to gag the pirates, too, or give them another solid knock on the head.

"Oy! What gives? Who tied me all up?"

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Hmm. That didn't go where I though it would go, but I think I like this better. This story is looking like it's going to be a lot shorter than the movie (maybe that's why they didn't do it that way) unless I do more with Will in Port Royal (which has nothing to do with Jack's revenge, honestly). It's up to you all to decide what you want me to do. Do I finish it when Jack sails off on the _Pearl_? Or do I put dear William through some hell in Port Royal?


	4. Chapter 4

Again, I'm sorry for the delay. I've recently been sucked back into the Star Wars fandom, but I promise to try to keep Revenge going, too, for those of you who still care (there aren't terribly many of you, are there? Ah, well… as long as there is one…). The show must go on!

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"Oi! Who tied me all up?"

Jack looked up from his fight, both pirates momentarily distracted by the confused yell. On closer inspection, Jack realized that a good majority of the unconscious pirates were bound with lengths of gold and sliver beads… and there, cowering in a corner, sat a trembling Elizabeth, clutching a handful of beaded cords in one hand and hurriedly tightening the knot she'd been tying with the other. Jack nearly laughed out loud, but instead he chose to use the opportunity to attack his opponent.

With that pirate unconscious, he threw an encouraging wink in Miss Swann's direction and jumped in to help Gibbs get his opponent out. There weren't many pirates left, and now that Jack's crew outnumbered them, they had no hope of aiding their incapacitated comrades. Pintel and Ragetti, however, were still trying. Will and AnaMaria made short work of the both of them, but not before they had managed to free two of their crewmates. The other two set into Will and AnaMaria with a vengeance, and Jack shook his head, grinning. Things were going amazingly well, as evidenced by the dismayed cries from the pirates who were slowly returning to consciousness. Nobody had moved to stop Elizabeth, and she had gotten over her fright to a point where she was gladly tying up the unconscious pirates. Soon, she had caught up to Jack's crew, and she had to wait for someone else to be knocked out before she could do anything. Jack was delighted with her ingenuity, and made a mental note to reward her with a bottle of rum at some point.

But his next opponent was Barbossa, and Jack wasn't entirely certain that he could defeat his former first mate. By now, Barbossa was well aware of what Jack's crew was trying to do, and it showed in the way he fought. If Jack could just get someone to distract his opponent for even a few seconds, he knew that he could knock Barbossa unconscious. But, unfortunately, a mix of bloodthirst and hubris had caused him to give his crew strict instructions not to harm Barbossa until all his crew were disabled, and he was on his own. Watching the look on Barbossa's face as they fought, Jack realized that Barbossa understood all too well his predicament, and was planning to take full advantage of it. He narrowed his eyes in determination. Barbossa would not get the best of Jack Sparrow ever again!

He was tiring, though, and he knew that Barbossa suffered under no such ailment. In fact, his old first mate seemed refreshed, as though he'd just woken from a nice nap and had time to slumber before taking on the match. Jack growled low in his throat in annoyance, but he made certain that the sound was low enough that Barbossa didn't hear.eheHe

Just as he thought he could go no further, though, someone crept up behind Barbossa carrying a long golden bar. He hid his smile as he recognized Elizabeth, but he could not hide his laugh when she swung the bar with all her might and knocked his opponent out cold.

"Well done indeed, Miss Swann. My thanks and congratulations," Jack said, still laughing as he shook her hand.

Elizabeth looked confused at his thanks, but she smiled tentatively at him and pulled a string of beads out of the bodice of her dress to tie Barbossa up. Jack raised an eyebrow at her choice of storage space, but a glare from Elizabeth shut him up. "I am merely trying to help," she said.

Jack nodded and looked around. Barbossa had been the last to fall; the rest of his crew was pulling the unconscious pirates into a pile in the middle of the cavern. He grinned and rubbed his hands together. Things were working out just perfectly.

Elizabeth stood and wiped her hands on her filthy skirt, finished with her job. Jack stood over Barbossa and smirked, knowing that his revenge would be better than he had dared to hope for.

"Well, mates, this has proven to be a most satisfying day. I wonder if one of you would like to run back to the ships and fetch some ropes and bins? We really ought to secure these fine gentlemen better before we set about hauling this loot aboard."

About half the crew volunteered, but Jack only sent Will, Elizabeth and Gibbs back. Before they left, Jack pulled Will aside and whispered to him, "You might want to keep your lass aboard the ship, if you can. What I plan to do with Barbossa is not for a lady's eyes."

Will frowned at him. "Just what are you planning, Jack?" he demanded.

"Revenge, mate. Good old-fashioned revenge. It won't be pretty, I can assure you. Trust me, anyone with a weak stomach will not want to witness this. Though, it will be rather amusing, if I do say so myself," Jack answered with a grin. "Oh, and Will, if you find a birdcage, will you bring that back, too?"

Will nodded, furrowing his brow, and followed Gibbs and Elizabeth to the ships.

Jack turned back to his crew and clapped his hands. "What are ye all soggerin' about for? Start collecting this loot into barrels and whatnot! Just don' touch the Aztec gold. Ye saw what that'd do to ye."

The crew laughed and hurried to follow his instructions. Jack turned back to Barbossa, still unconscious, slumped in a heap on the ground and tied with—appropriately—a string of black pearls. He chuckled.

"That 'Lizabeth. She knows a thing or two," he muttered as he pulled out his sword. This would be a grisly task, but he was looking forward to it. It would be the ultimate revenge.

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Oh, this is going to be so much fun. I can't wait to see what you all think of my Revenge. It's going to be… unique, I can guarantee that. But if you want to know what it is, you'll have to review, because reviews are what keep me going. Besides, I already have the next chapter pretty much done, so the faster you review, the sooner I'll update. Promise.


	5. Chapter 5

I

I told you I'd update soon! Aren't I good? Well, I won't keep you in suspense: here's the next chapter.

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Will tried to convince Elizabeth to stay on the _Pearl_, but it was no use. He couldn't even convince her to stay on the _Interceptor_ until he returned for her. She insisted on returning and helping the crew haul their loot back to the ships. Finally, frustrated and afraid of angering Gibbs any further, he allowed her to come back with them, carrying ropes and bins aplenty… and a birdcage, for Jack's strange request could not be ignored, no matter how many curious glances they cast at it.

They arrived in the caves to find Jack's crew already dumping the loot into what chests and bins they could find, but Jack was nowhere in sight, and neither was Barbossa. Gibbs asked AnaMaria what was going on, but she just shook her head and muttered something about "Damn fool pirate's got too much of an ego for his own good." Will shrugged it off, knowing that he would find out soon enough, and started hauling the ropes to the pirates in the middle. The ones who had returned to consciousness had been readmitted to the world of sleep by an obliging sword handle, courtesy of Marty, who took a perverse glee in knocking them out again. Together, he and Will tied them up quickly, and then set about hauling all the loot back to the boats.

Jack swaggered in a few minutes later and grabbed some of the extra rope, then hurried back out. His crew cast confused glances at each other, but they were at least somewhat accustomed to Jack's oddities by now and said nothing about it. When he returned again and asked Will for the birdcage, though, their curiosity peaked.

"Jack… what are you doing back there?" Gibbs asked as Will pulled the birdcage out of the boat.

Jack smirked. "Just wait. You'll see soon enough." He took the birdcage from Will and disappeared back into the caverns. Will looked at Gibbs, who shrugged and returned to work.

The crew had nearly hauled all of the loot to the ships by the time Jack came back, carrying the birdcage under one arm, but he had covered it with his cloak. He silently placed the cage in one of the loot-laden boats and began to row it to the _Pearl_. The crew took the last few longboats, filled with loot, back to the ships and climbed aboard the _Pearl_ to await their orders.

Jack hid the birdcage in his cabin as he helped to haul the loot aboard. He and AnaMaria would split the plunder evenly between them, as they would split the crew. She would take the _Interceptor, _and he would take the _Pearl_, and they would go their separate ways. For now, though, everything was being hauled aboard the _Pearl_ until they could get far away from the Isle du Muerta and Barbossa's crew. Eventually, they would have to wake up, and Marty couldn't continue knocking them out forever, no matter how much he loved to do it.

When everything was on board the _Pearl_ and they had left the Isle du Muerta in favor of a small island several leagues away, Jack called the crew together and gathered them around his cabin.

"By now," he said, unable to keep the grin off his face, "Barbossa's crew are waking up. This, I would assume, includes Barbossa himself." As if on cue, an ear-splitting howl sounded from inside Jack's cabin. The pirate captain's grin grew so large it was a wonder it didn't split his face. He ducked into the cabin and, amidst a string of curses directed at everything from him to a llama's mother, reemerged holding the birdcage. Inside sat Barbossa's head, severed from the rest of his body and cursing up a storm.

The crew stared at it for a moment, unable to quite believe the specter in front of them. Then, slowly, Gibbs began to laugh. Within minutes the entire crew was laughing fit to burst, and Jack's grin had never been wider.

"That," Gibbs choked out between gasps of laughter, "has got to be the most creative revenge I have ever seen. But what in the world did you do with his body?"

Jack gestured back to the island. "It's buried in about fifty places in there, I think. He's welcome to try to reassemble himself, if he likes, but I fear we'll be long gone from here by the time he digs all of his pieces out of the sand."

At this, Barbossa let loose a string of howls and curses that made Elizabeth's eyes about the width of saucers and her cheeks redder than Jack's bandanna. Jack peered into the cage and shook his head.

"Now, now, mate," he chided, chuckling, "that's no way to speak in front of a lady. What will Miss Elizabeth think of you now?"

Barbossa snarled at him, and Jack threw back his head and laughed. "Not much, I'd wager. Gents, what do you say we head back to Tortuga for a little celebration?"

The crew cheered, and Jack grinned as he replaced the cover over Barbossa's cage and stored it back in his cabin. It wouldn't stay there, of course—Jack would never get a wink of sleep if Barbossa was in the same room, cursing him from dawn till dusk—but it would do for the present.

He locked the cabin door behind him and turned, ready to bellow an order to his crew, but Will and Elizabeth were waiting at his door and waylaid him before he could get the chance.

"Jack, have you forgotten?" Will asked. "You have to take us back to Port Royal first. Norrington will have my head as it is, if I don't return with the _Interceptor_."

Jack frowned and scratched his head. "You know what they'll do to me if I go back there, William. They'd hang me in a heartbeat. 'Sides, you gave the _Interceptor_ to AnaMaria, remember? Can't I just drop you someplace close and let you find your own way back?"

"Jack," Elizabeth said, "please. There might even be a reward, if you brought me back safely. Who knows what Norrington would do to have me back? He wants to marry me, you know."

Jack looked at her, surprised. "So that's the way the winds blow, is it? Well… perhaps I can work somethin' out with AnaMaria so it looks like you returned with the ship and your dear Miss Swann in one piece. Though, if you're smart, lad, you won't take her back to Port Royal at all and let that Norrington have her. Marry her someplace else, and don't bother going back. What good would it do you, anyway, to go to all this trouble to rescue her, and then you don't get to keep her?"

Elizabeth looked at Will, shocked, as he blushed and frowned. "She wants to go back, Jack. I'll give her what she wants." He looked at her intently, giving her a tentative smile, and she smiled back.

"Thank you, Will," she whispered. Jack smirked. He knew a disappointed lady when he saw one, having forced many lasses into that unfortunate position himself, and he knew that the last thing Elizabeth wanted was to be forced into a marriage with Norrington. Especially now that she was reasonably sure that, if she wished it, Will would gladly take the Commodore's place at her side. Perhaps he would have another talk with the boy later.

"But first," he told himself sternly, "Tortuga!"

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I do have a sick imagination, and I know it. But I was laughing so hard when I wrote this that I could barely type. And you must admit, it's a much better revenge than simply killing the guy. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I loved writing it… no worries, more has been requested, and I certainly won't disappoint you. Young William is in for some difficulties… and possibly another jailbreak… but I don't quite know what I'm going to do with that.

From here on out, kiddies, I'm flyin by the seat of my pants. Come along for the ride. I don't know where we're going, but I can promise that it'll be fun!


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